Niner Noise
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San Francisco 49ers: Full 2018 NFL free agency preview and analysis

By Peter Panacy

LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 31: General Manager John Lynch of the San Francisco 49ers looks on from the sidelines during the second half of a game against the Los Angeles Rams at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on December 31, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 31: General Manager John Lynch of the San Francisco 49ers looks on from the sidelines during the second half of a game against the Los Angeles Rams at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on December 31, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /
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HOUSTON, TX – DECEMBER 18: Allen Robinson #15 of the Jacksonville Jaguars catches a pass during warm ups before the game between the Houston Texans and the Jacksonville Jaguars at NRG Stadium on December 18, 2016 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TX – DECEMBER 18: Allen Robinson #15 of the Jacksonville Jaguars catches a pass during warm ups before the game between the Houston Texans and the Jacksonville Jaguars at NRG Stadium on December 18, 2016 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) /

Free Agents with Reported Ties to the 49ers

With a plethora of needs and just over $70 million in cap space, John Lynch could go one of a number of different directions when NFL free agency kicks off.

It’s not hard to find players one thinks would be good fits for San Francisco. They’re everywhere this time of year.

Instead, let’s focus on players either linked to the Niners by news, reports or insider analysis.

Wide Receiver Allen Robinson

San Francisco’s receiving corps looks good heading into 2018. It’s just not great.

Adding a big-play threat like Jacksonville Jaguars wideout Allen Robinson would provide a huge boost. Robinson missed all but one game in 2017 with an ACL injury. But he’s not far removed from a 1,400-yard campaign in 2015.

And he’s only 24 years old.

NFL.com’s Matt Harmon actually listed the 49ers as a best fit for Robinson this season:

"Robinson would also help Jimmy Garoppolo improve on the one other area in which the passer didn’t perform like the second-coming of Tom Brady last season. While Garoppolo ripped teams wide open in the short-to-intermediate area, the team didn’t have the big physical receivers on the outside to win down the field. Garoppolo had a 24.3 passer rating on deep throws last year. In his peak season when playing with a functional version of Blake Bortles, Robinson offered unparalleled effectiveness in the vertical game."

Robinson likely won’t come cheap, though. Yet San Francisco does have the cap space to get into something of a bidding war.

Running Back Dion Lewis

The NFL Draft seems the likeliest of spots for the Niners to land a running back.

But a report from Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio listed the 49ers as one of six or seven teams “potentially interested.”

Lewis, who never rushed for more than 300 yards before his 896-yard, six-touchdown 2017 campaign, wouldn’t be an every-down back. That’s not a concern, though, as Kyle Shanahan has operated dual-tailback sets in the majority of his offenses.

Plus, Lewis possesses more-than adequate pass-catching abilities — a must-have trait for a Shanahan-type back.

Cornerback Richard Sherman

Ah, yes. San Francisco fans’ biggest adversary.

The Seattle Seahawks released cornerback Richard Sherman on Friday, and he lasted on the open market just one day before inking a deal with the Niners.

Let’s just leave this here: